The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1887-07-21
AND DESTRUCTION.
A FrlShtiul Railway CsIIISIOn at Sc
ThOmas, Cat.
A Crowded. TxouFsiSR RFAIn RuAs IASO a
FEsiEA'--TAnkS Of OIL E1plOdo ana
Many Victims BaFn 10 DEATH
Nineteen Persons Killed.

poned ID western Ontario occurred %
1:lO thls evening at the crossing Of th0
Michigan Central and London & PORT
Stanley railways, resulting In tho loss
OF ninOleSn lives and she injury Of over
toEty oenSr DeHSOnS, three or GeuK Of
A SDeSlal OaStbsuud Michigan Central
freight train was pulling out 04 che
yard - . regular excursion tSAln RYem
POrO DSAnlOy approached, WlOh ten
coaches literally packed with residents
0e Shlg city and London. BnRlnO0E
Harry Donnelly was In charge Of che
PORT Stanley train, and 90 hO WAS cross
Ing che bridge nOtised, tho fireman
states, that thO 8oMADhoHO was closed
against him. Az ho approached Well.
ington street ho applied the AlT bPAk0S.
DuO Shoy were ugelesD and refused %
work. He then whlstled FOR bBakOs and
reversed his engine. buS % The 10VOH
some time was occupied In reversing ~
From Wellington 81. 10 the cToSOinR. th0
train ran Wtth lever reversed. The violent
whlstlInR had alarmed pedestrians ana
pAssonReHe alike, and ShAs q collision
was Unavoidable was evident. Th@
passengers commenced smaBRInG from
car windows. every available means 0G
eRFese being taken advantage Of. A
majority Of the pAssenRORs in NAO car
next 20 the engine had managed 10 RON
oub whom she engine plunged lntO she
Michigan Central railway freight
Engineer Donnelly could b0 seen In Che
cab with his hand on tho lSVOR still
ende3VoEing TO make The air brakes
work.
As X the fAtes were linked 10 add
additional horror 10 an already Buf-
hcHentDy appalling affair. q section Of
freight tHAAn lRto which tho engine OF
the passenger train pl0WOd, consisted OF
two care containing tanks nlled with
with barrels Of refined oil. and AlmOSa
before She passengers heard 0ho crash
OF the collision 10 WAs followed By Q OY0-
mOndOus explosion, which could bO
heard toH mll0s. A pyramid OF red 6H0
and black clouds lowered up In che air
and in moment sheets OF Are reached
enc and onVel0Ded cars, dwellings ana
warehouses In the vicinity.
when the engine struck the oil tank
It tore th0 mAnhOl0 from the top, ana
buG moment elapsed before the OIL
WSs In az0, and the rearing Of the
\ flames could be heard all over She city.
When the collision occurred the engine
bent, sWayed and sUrg0d for . moment.
and finally, turning partially over, fell
20 the ground on the other side of the
car. Then shot up columns Of flBmOa
through black smoke and cinders, that
was visible twenty-five miles away, ao-
cOmDanied by roar OveTpOwering, like
an ocean symphony, all other sounds.
The burning oil was scattered In all
dir, ctlOns, setting fire to Grifin's coal
and salt warehouse, j. L. Campbell's
dwelling and watch house and other
structures In the vicinity, destroying
all these and incurring loss of about
$50 0O0.
Herman POnsford of the fire depart
ment was literally cindeTed byG 6lOud
OF fame, and when the smoke cleared
away II WAS seen that from head to foot
he was & living mass Of flames. HS was
promptly wrapped 10 cloths, and the
q ming remnants OF his vest and trOus-
aTs torn from bis blazing body, exhibit
log the CoOksd flesh beneath His ia
jlTles IRE Of horrible LatuTe and he
cannot recover.
The engineer, Joyce, Of the Grand
Trunk engine, was \ mass OF flames.
bis clothing was stripped from his body
by willing hands and he WAS taken
home In cab.
The s years old son of R. Cattely was
badly burned and cannot recover. John
ArKellar was also badly burned.
Charles Chisholm, A. HulsOn, John Stir
ling, Allie aud Arch Noteworthy, ThOm-
as johnson, Thomas DOherty. d. Mccall
lnm, Martha Lsmery, Frank Queen,
Charles Dake, j. Ackermsn and scores
OF others were painfully burned by the
blazing oil. many Of them fatally.
Hon. A. Francis, United States con-
sul, was struck by q reel and terribly
injured. His recovery Is doubtful.
The following bodies have been recog-
nized:
II. DonDelly, engineer of tho excur-
daughter; A. Zealand and daughter.
Mrs. W. H. King, who with her three
children was in the car next to the
engine, tells vivid story Of the wreck.
This was the only car wrecked and 1t
was consequently In this csr that the
victims whU were incinerated were rid
ing.
Mrs. King was accompanied BY her
three children and the train was run
ming unusually fast from Port Stanley.
The lady who WAS In the Car stRtes that
the time occupied was but fifteen min.
ntes, AT Wellington street Mrs. King
noticed that the train slBckened speed
somewhat, but IL WIS not until the
train was opposite Elizabeth street that
she SUSPECTED anything wrong. She
was looking out Of the window and
observed the Michigan Central freight
train. For moment she thought the
train he'd parted 10 allow the passenger
TO pass through, b0t CHANGING to look
out the opposite window, saw that her
first impressions were incorrect and
that 8 collision was about to take place.
Almost as soon as she realized the fact
THE CRASH CAME.
The locomotive of the passenger train
parted, and the freight and rear section
Of ihe latter crashed into the passenger
train. The utmost confusion at once
arose and the shriekB Of women and
children were heartrending.
In moment flames broke out. MH.
A. B. Remey and Mr.. A. A. Drake at
once rescued Mrs King and Mrs. WeRK
and their children through windows,
and others clamb0rod out through the
remaining windows. Before the acci-
dent Mrs.King noticed that Mrs. Zealand
and Mrs Smlthers were seated together
In the second seat from the forward end
OF the car. Mrs. Smithers had her three
months old baby In her arms On the left
hand side, Mrs. Frsine being seated on.
posite her. MIR. Zealand with his two
months old baby was seated on the op-
positO side. There were also two large
sized m0n seated seat or two bOhin6
Mrs. smithors. She did not recognize